Ep. 1: We Are Ninja
is the first episode of Ninja Sentai Kakuranger. It took an unusual approach among Sentai in introducing only three members of the five-man team, Sasuke (NinjaRed), Saizou (NinjaBlue), Tsuruhime (NinjaWhite). The remaining two members, Seikai (NinjaYellow) and Jiraiya (NinjaBlack), would be introduced in the next two episodes respectively. Synopsis Two young men are fooled into releasing the seal on the Yokai and must become the Ninja Sentai Kakuranger to stop the forces they inavertedly unleashed on the world. Plot An announcer appears before a microphone in a puff of smoke pronouncing the beginning of the new series, Ninja Sentai Kakuranger before beginning the tale of their origin: In the Sengoku era, the feudal lords were in brutal battles as the five great ninja warriors, Sasuke Sarutobi, Saizou Kirigakure, Seikai Miyoshi, Jiraiya and Tsuruhime combined their power to fight deadly battles against their opponents. We witness the five ninja appearing to fight a cloaked opponent with Sasuke throwing a shuriken at it before it disappeared revealing itself as the yokai magic of the Demon Lord Nurarihyon, who blows them away with his power. As Nurarihyon appears before them, Tsuruhime pronounces it as time to use the Seal Door, the five ninja placing their swords into the ground sending the lord to a valley with a huge door at the very end, upon which the female ninja leader proclaims they will seal the lord within it. Nurarihyon causes an explosion, but Sasuke leaps over him and activates the trap to open the Seal Door, emitting a red light as Sasuke casts the art to eternally seal the demon lord within it! A bolt of lightning flies out as the Kakuranger hold him down, sealing the demon lord within and the door closing becoming sealed once again. As the narrator returns, he states that with Nurarihyon sealed, the Yokai of our world lost their power and the Seal Door was forever sealed as the Yokai disappeared forever. However, centuries have passed and we are now in an age of science... Two males, Sasuke and Saizou (the descendants of Sasuke Sarutobi and Saizou Kirigakure), arrive at a city district by motorcycle as Saizou yells he wants to have hamburgers instead of ramen (the narrator claiming that they should have omelette rice instead). Saizou claims they're eating there because their money is limited due to Sasuke arguing with a manager and getting himself fired from his job; Sasuke tries to claim Saizou is his "brother" for buying him coffee the other day but they continue to argue until someone yells out for help as a man is beaten up on the streak. Sasuke throws his shoe at the mugger and the duo beat up the criminals while giving back a bag they had to it's owner, a strange man wearing an aviator helmet and goggles. The man takes out money and tells the duo to deliver the bag to Kappa Inari Island before fainting; as Sasuke checks on him, Saizou realizes there's even more money in the bag while the weird man states he'll give a huge reward if they make his delivery before fainting. The duo take a motorboat to Kappa Inari Island, a run down old island with a map Sasuke can't comprehend. Seeing several strange children nearby, Sasuke tries to ask directions but they run off, leading to them chasing the strange girl in a kimono as she appears and disappears making them become lost and the other children appear wearing fox masks from the trees and a weird kappa emerges from the water. Saizou complains he's had enough of the island and they should go home; Sasuke asks about the money and Saizou claims they can give it to the police before the girl continues to sing and the children run down a tunnel with them in pursuit. They hear the echoes through the ruins of the island freaking them out as the children begin to chant once again in an eerie speech before they transform into weird masked ninjas, throwing spears and chasing after them as they throw explosives towards them. Saizou screams as Sasuke tries to keep up with him but his friend keeps yelling about money while tossing around the bones of the dead around them before claiming he found what he was looking for with the girl smiling as he is trapped down a well! Sasuke avoids a ground trap as he continues to run and Saizou finally catches up with him, the former yelling he thought he was going to die as the ninjas continue to pursue them until they reach a certain door! As Sasuke yells that they should be let in, Saizou states it won't open and they should go back, running in the opposite direction until the seal starts to activate and bag flies onto the statue as the girl continues to laugh. Saizou tells her he isn't letting her have it as he takes the bag back but he steps on a switch, making the statue move and the door blast open, the eerie red light glowing as the girl reveals herself as the man in the pilot hat! Saizou asks who he is and he states the two are idiots as he thanks them; he tricked them to appear there and tells them to look inside the bag, revealing there are now cucumbers inside; all the money turning into the vegetable! As Sasuke yells about what's happening, a man on a flying cloud criticizes them for being fooled by money into opening the Seal Door containing the energy of the Yokai and that with it's release, it will allow the Yokai to regain power and the world to fall into chaos! As Saizou wonders what he's talking about, the strange man eats a cucumber telling "Sandayuu" that it's too late as the energy flies out of the door forcing Sasuke and Saizou to the ground and allowing the strange ninja and the weird man, revealed to be Kappa, to regain their power! The Announcer re-appears introducing Kappa, stating it lives in swamps and lakes and it likes to touch young girl's bottoms. Kappa states that the world will be a Yokai paradise, but Sandayuu states that Sasuke and Saizou must now embrace their destinies without any choice in the matter while the ninja reveal themselves as the Dorodoro and a cloud of Yoki flies into the air with multiple Yokai emerging from the Seal Door to run amuck! He states he wants to thank the duo but won't let them stand in their way before throwing Sasuke and Saizou out into a subway terminal; the duo rush out but the Dorodoro surround them and chase them before another Yokai, Azukiarai, appears while Nurikabe emerges from a wall and Mokumokuren appears behind them! The duo rush back outside scared and unsure before a huge castle appears before them as Sandayuu laughs at them from a bridge! Sasuke yells at him asking who he is; he merely states they'll know soon and tells them to fight the Yokai before telling them that "Lady Tsuruhime" is waiting for them at Illusion Castle before throwing them off into a field. The duo emerge in a quarry where five katana are planted in the ground and the castle appears before them again from far away. A crane flies towards them as a ninja-garbed girl appears stating she is the 24th Tsuruhime; Saizou wonders how she can be so white and Sasuke wonders if she's really a high schooler as the female criticizes them for opening the Seal Door and forces them towards the swords which they must pull together, forcing Sasuke to pull the Red while Saizou the Blue and herself the White. She states that the katana can only be pulled out by the descendants of ninja, which they find unbelievable but are willing to try regardless. Placing their hands on the katana, the trio raise their swords as they're struck by lightning and the ground shakes around them, making the power hit the Illusion Castle as it breaks apart and a massive blue warrior rises upwards and stands before them: the form of Muteki Shogun! From within the giant, five lights fly out revealed as the five ancient ninja, Tsuruhime states them as their ancestors: Saizou Kirigakure tells Sasuke Sarutobi that they're just kids as the Red states they're strange and wonder if they'll be alright. The ancient Tsuruhime tells the ancient Sasuke and Saizou to give them their Doron Changers as they throw them to the trio and tell them to only use as necessary. Sasuke and Saizou wonder what they are as the ancients tell them to take care of them, become the Kakuranger and help Tsuruhime destroy the Yokai forever! Saizou tells them to shave and brush every day as the five depart once again. Without warning, Kappa and the Dorodoro appear before them as the Yokai proclaims they'll become kappa rolls while Sasuke and Saizou yell at him for tricking them. Tsuruhime tells them to transform with their Doron Changers, allowing for them to become the three Kakuranger, their swords turning into the swords Kakurenmaru: Tsuruhime becoming NinjaWhite, Saizou NinjaBlue and Sasuke NinjaRed. Kappa calls them show-offs as he sends the Dorodoro towards them, with Tsuruhime handling them with ease and Sasuke admiring her abilities with swords, shuriken and ninja arts. Kappa appears behind the male duo and punches them as NinjaWhite tells them to use their swords as they combat the Yokai but are attacked by him; the trio entering into speedy combat before they're slashed down by the Yokai. He proclaims a Ninpo Basketball as he kicks a soccer ball and hits them and calls them idiots before stating it as the end. Yet without warning, Muteki Shogun activates and uses his sword to emit a massive slash that makes Kappa leap into the air as a weird octopus flies towards him calling him "Darling" and Kappa proclaims as his "honey"! The announcer wonders who it is but states it's a secret until next time before departing. Cast * : * : * : (credit only) * : * : (credit only) * : *The Announcer: Guest Cast * : * : **Girl: *Boat Man: *Kakuranger's Ancestors: , , , Errors to be added Notes *'Viewership': 7.8% *First appearance of Sasuke, Saizou, Tsuruhime, Sandayuu, the Dorodoros, The Announcer, and Muteki Shogun. *'Eyecatch' **'Featured Kakuranger (Pre-Break):' NinjaRed **'Featured Kakuranger (Post-Break):' NinjaRed *While J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai, Battle Fever J, Dengeki Sentai Changeman, and Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger are the only Sentai acknowledged as not having a Yellow Ranger, this episode also counts since, as previously noted, Seikai doesn't appear (although he is credited, seen in the opening, and is introduced in the next episode). *The first song the children sing is a very old Japanese folk song called . It is associated with a childrens game, and is used in modern day Japan to let children know when to cross the street. *The second song the children sing is another traditional Japanese childrens song called . It is sung as part of a game similar to the western game Red Rover. *This episode shares the same translated title as the first episode of a later ninja season. **This is the only opening episode of a ninja season to have "ninja" written in kanji in the first episode title. DVD Releases *''Ninja Sentai Kakuranger'' Volume 1 features episodes 1-11.http://www.toei-video.co.jp/DVD/kakurenger.html *The complete Kakuranger series was released in North America by Shout! Factory in 2016. See Also References Category:Ninja Sentai Kakuranger Category:Sentai episodes Category:Season Premieres Category:Written by Noboru Sugimura